keep the wolf from the door

keep the wolf from the door

To do, acquire, or provide something that will allow one or something to narrowly avoid death, ruin, etc. We were extremely poor then, and begging for scraps was all I could do to keep the wolf from the door.This loan will keep the wolf from the door, at least, but I'm worried it won't last long.

keep the wolf from the door

Fig. to maintain oneself at a minimal level; to keep from starving, freezing, etc. I don't make a lot of money, just enough to keep the wolf from the door.We have a small amount of money saved, hardly enough to keep the wolf from the door.

keep the wolf from the door

Ward off starvation or financial ruin. For example, In many countries people are working simply to keep the wolf from the door, and owning a car or washing machine is just a dream , or Gail would take any job now, just to keep the wolf from the door. This term alludes to the wolf's fabled ravenousness. [Mid-1500s]

keep the wolf from the door

Something which keeps the wolf from the door provides you with enough money to live on. He was doing two jobs just to keep the wolf from the door.Government pension provisions will keep the wolf from the door but they will not provide you with a comfortable old age. Note: For many centuries in the past, wolves were symbols of hunger.

keep the wolf from the door

have enough money to avert hunger or starvation.

The phrase has been used in this sense since the mid 16th century, but the image of the wolf as a symbol of a devouring and destructive force is found much earlier than this. In Matthew 10:16, for example, Jesus tells his disciples: ‘Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves’.

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